For many years clarity in personal care products has been synonymous with purity as pure water is represented by crystal clear. Yet in striving for clarity other properties have taken a back seat in the quest for clarity. The hardest of all applications to obtain this clarity has been in the gelled hair products. Gels are typically formed by association or cross-linking of polymers to structure the liquid portion of the formulation. These associates can potentially act like crystal regions and their formation tends to make the gels opaque as the formation of crystals scatters light. Additionally, any incompatibility of the styling polymers with the gelling agent may also adversely affect the clarity.
One approach to increase the clarity in gelled products is to reduce the molecular weight of the polymeric material, as it is well know that lower molecular weight provides better clarity in both solution and gel. The drawback to low molecular weight is that the polymers are less able to provide good physical properties once the liquid has dried. Properties such as curl strength (stiffness) and humidity resistance will suffer as the molecular weight of the polymer system is lowered.
To overcome the deficiencies of low molecular weight some specialty tertiary polymers were prepared. And while these worked well to provide all the properties the cost of such specialized polymers have been prohibitive to the hair care marketplace. There still exist in the market place today a need for a system for providing hold and humidity resistance from clear gelled fixative systems that are safe and made from in-expensive, readily available ingredients.